Xochipilli was the god of art, games, beauty, dance, flowers, and song in Aztec mythology, his name means something like "flower prince". A model who inspired me for this work was an exquisitely beautiful young man of mixed origin, Benjamin, in whose veins runs Vietnamese & French & Brazilian blood. We met during a summer music festival, on a seashore, and he really looked like a young god of summer, music and festivity, so i could easily see him as Xochipilli. I added a few carnelian & bronze butterflies to his portrait, and only after the work was done I'd learned that Xochipilli is usually being portrayed in surrounding of flowers & butterflies. ; )
bronze
gypsum
clay
work in progress
Benjamin & Xochipilli
